Itanagar: Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Thursday said Arunachal Pradesh University (APU) in East Siang district needs more land and modern teaching and learning facilities to emerge as a strong centre of higher education, asserting that the existing 106-acre campus is not sufficient for its growth.
Addressing the grand celebration of 'Vande Mataram @150' at the lone state university, Rijiju said a varsity cannot grow in a congested space and called for expansion of the campus with a long-term vision.
He assured that the Centre and the state government would extend all possible support for the institute's development.
Rijiju, the Union Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs minister, who represents the Arunachal West Parliamentary constituency in the Lok Sabha, said any proposal for expansion should come from the local legislators and be submitted to his office and the state government, a statement said here.
"A university should have enough space to grow. The present 106 acres is not sufficient for Arunachal Pradesh University. We need to expand the campus area," he said, adding that APU should have all modern facilities for teaching, learning and research.
Inaugurating the programme, Rijiju also opened the newly constructed main gate of the university, participated in a tree plantation programme under 'Ek Ped Ek Bharat' and inaugurated student exhibition stalls, including a photo gallery set up by the Arunachal Photography Club.
Praising the construction of the main gate, he said its design reflected the seriousness of the university towards campus development.
Rijiju also praised teachers as "shapers of society and nation builders" and urged students to become changemakers and contribute to the development of the state and the country.
Speaking on the significance of 'Vande Mataram', he said the song composed by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay in 1875 became a powerful symbol of the freedom movement and helped awaken the spirit of nationalism.
He said celebrating 150 years of 'Vande Mataram' from Pasighat carried special significance as it reflected the spirit of 'Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat'.
"From the frontiers of Arunachal Pradesh, when we sing Vande Mataram, we worship Maa Bharati from the land where the sun first rises," Rijiju said.
Rijiju also assured to look into a four-point memorandum submitted by APU seeking three hostels for tribal and minority students, a Tribal Heritage Museum, dedicated water supply for the university and a study on publicity outreach among minority communities in Northeast India.
He released the Book of Abstracts of the national seminar on '150 Years of Vande Mataram', containing 70 papers from across the country and abroad.
The three-day celebration, organised by the university's mass communication department and sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, also featured cultural programmes, exhibitions, competitions and a documentary on month-long prelude activities. Prizes and certificates were distributed to 47 winners.
The celebration will conclude with a seminar and valedictory programme on Friday.
This report was published from a wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.